English word origin

Etymology of merc

Clipping of mercenary. For the /k/ compare bike.

1 source sectionBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗

verb

To kill.

noun

A mercenary.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Clipping of mercenary. For the /k/ compare bike.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "clipping",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "mercenary"
      },
      "expansion": "Clipping of mercenary"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "mercenary",
      "mercenary#English"
    ],
    [
      "bike",
      "bike#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To kill."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "slang",
        "transitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "548d17c8d24c976b24c5f05a72d9180a33f9c7b000266947851a9ad2624df9a4",
      "rawRecordSha256": "0d451ceb262bcf9ac83915a5ee83930c389ce6f7c3b40adbf28846609916c99c",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 1874723
    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A mercenary."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "slang"
      ],
      "recordId": "b4a80406a0cd0e7b7139dc70557ad21123fd190808e6e3c4e5087750bd071ed4",
      "rawRecordSha256": "6d7d6ecedc984e24f8eb0a5b30cce49f5cf0273ce57626c8cb59eb0298856901",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 1874722
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for merc →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-bWVyYw